Wet wheel humidifier



Patented Dec. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to a humidifier.

It is my purpose to provide a humidifier of simple and efiicient structure whereby water may be picked up from a receptacle by a-rotating wheel of novel construction and lifted above the surface of the water in the receptacle and subjected on the surface of the wheel to a draft of air created by a fan and thereby the air may be supplied with moisture. I

A further object is to provide in such a struc ture means for continuously operating the fan for causing the continuous circulation of air and to provide means under the control of a humidostat for driving a wetted wheel when the humidostat calls for increased humidity, it being within the objects of my invention to drive both the fan and the wheel so that both may be controlled by the humidostat.

A further purpose of my invention is to provide a unitary structure including a casing in which all of the parts above mentioned are suitably mounted in proper relation to each other.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the casing of my humidifier unit illustrating the arrangement of the parts therein.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of the ribbons before they are bent to their spiral form which they have in the completed wheel.

Figure 3 is arear elevation of the wheel, the shaft therefor being shown in section.

One embodiment of my invention is shown in the drawing wherein the reference numeral I is used to indicate generally the casing forming part of my humidifier unit. A filter I I for cleaning the incoming air is provided which may be, positioned at the rear of the casing. Spaced forwardly in the casing with relation to the filter II is a suitably journaled shaft I2 on which is mounted a fan I3. I, A motor i4 is operatively connected with the fan shaft l2 by means of pulleys l5 and I6, and a belt ll. The air passing from the filter H to the fan I3 is guided by the casing element Ila which has the form of a hollow truncated cone.

The front end of the casing I0 is opened but has a protective screen or filter l8. Suitably joumaled and near the front end of the casing is a shaft IS on which is mounted the humiditying wheel A. Baflies I81; and lab direct the moistened air from the wheel outward through the screen I 8. The wheel A is of peculiar structure and serves as a pump or water lifting device and also has a means for providing adequate support for a film of water which may then be taken up by the air passing through the wheel from the fan 13.

Mounted on the shaft I9 is a plurality of spirally-arranged sheet-like ribbons 20, preferably made of metal. These sheets are secured to the shaft l9 and are formed into spirals around the shaft 19 separating adjacent turns of the corrugated ribbons 2|. Although the ribbons 20 may extend across the full width of the wheel A- the separating corrugated ribbons 2| may be considerably less than the full width so as not to obstruct the free fiow of water and are frequently mere narrow bands, one at each edge. The corrugations function to provide a greater surface area than would a fiat ribbon but more especially act as spacers for the sheet-like ribbons and as conveyors for water from the inside surface of" the sheet to the outside of the adjacent sheet during the slow rotation of the wheel. This increases the amount of surface that is wetted.

In the bottom of the casing Ill below the wheel A is a water receptacle 22 into which the lower part of the wheel dips. A supply pipe 23 furnishes water to the receptacle 22. A fioat 24 controls a valve 25 for regulating the ficw of water from the lower end of the pipe 23 into the receptacle 22 and maintaining the water in the receptacle 22 at a predetermined level. An overfiow pipe 24a having a relatively small opening may be included to assure a constant flow of the water in the receptacle 22. Water is custom-' arily supplied to the pipe 23 from an ordinary house system. As here shown there is provided a supply tank 26 extending from a top Illa of the casing I0. Under certain circumstances where there is no connection available to the house system the water in the tank 26 may be replenished from time to time through the filler hole 10b. In the pipe 23 there is an ordinary control valve 21, which may be adjusted to conform with varied requirements since not all the water is necessarily blown outward and varying amounts will be returned to the receptacle 22.

The overflow pipe 24a may be omitted when a float valve is used. When the float valve is not used a larger overflow pipe can be utilized and the control valve-21 in the supply pipe maybe adjusted to admit to the receptacle 22 a constant supply of water somewhat in excess of the amount evaporated from the wheel. Any excess will pass outwardly through the pipe 24a and thus maintain a constant water level in the receptacle.

3 This keeps the water fresh in cases where the air" passing through the wheel carries tobacco, cooking or other odors.

The wheel A is rotated by a motor 28 which transmits rotation from its shaft 28 to the shaft It by a suitable gearing structure 30 which in the present embodiment is a chain and sprockets; The starting and stopping of the motor 28 is controlled by a humidostati I At the right of the casing as viewed in Figure 1 1 is a vent pipe 32 which extends from the .space within the air chamber to the space above the. water'level in the supply tank. Similarly, at the left a vent 33 extends from the space above the water level of the tank to a position on the suction side of the fan.

'- Operation When my humidifier is in use I preferably start humidifier is located.

When the humidifier 3| calls for moisture, it; starts the motor 28 which in turn rotates the wheel A. The lower part of the wheel A projects into the upper part of the water receptacle 22 so that when the wheel is rotated, the outer ends of the ribbons 20 pick up a supply of water.- As the wheel slowly rotates, the water flows back along the ribbons toward the wheel shaft and crosses from the inside of one convolution of a ribbon 20 to the outside of the next convolution of a ribbon 20 towards the shaft along the path provided by the corrugated ribbon 2|. The water thus'lies upon the surfaces of the ribbons 20. The air driven through the wheel by the fan l3 picks up the moisture and is humidified.

When the humidification has been brought to a the proper degree, the humidostat 3| stops the 1 motor 28 and leaves it idle until the humidostat again calls for moisture.

The arrangement is such that none of the finely machined parts 01' the apparatus are ever subjected to direct contact with the water. p 3 A humidifier of this kind has many advantages.

; It will of course be understood that the ribbons 1 of the wheel A are of such number and width and l j the wheel is operated at such a speed as to properly accomplish the purpose, and the sizes and speed are readily determined by experiment. The

wheel revolves so slowly it need not be finely balanced. 1 It iswell known that water in a reservoir w'ill 1 not evaporate rapidly unless it is heated because 3 of the fact that only a small surface area is exj posed to the air, which might pick it up. By 1 means of the wheel, this humidifier picks up the 3 water and-spreads it out in a thin film on a substantially large area subject to contact with themoving air. The wheel is so proportioned in accordance with tests made, that no materials which may be washed out of the air, can get to the working parts. Moreover, the constant cir culation of water serves to absorb odors in the air passing through the machine and where there is a constant change in the water the odors pass away with the overflow.

When the fan is in operation air is passed through the casing. Under such circumstances some air will pass upward through the vent 32 and a circulation of air over the surface of water in the tank 26 will be set up. This circulation is assisted by passage of air downward through the vent 33 through which .it is drawn by the fan.

This serves-to pick up some water vapor and to,

prevent condensation on the under side of the top Illa.

By positioning the mechanical parts inside the casing only clean filtered air reaches them. By the proper placing of filters such as by use of air outlet filter at l 8 no dust residue left on the vanes after they have dried will be passed outward from the humidifier. v I

. It is my purpose to cover any modifications of my structure or changes in details of arrangement which may be reasonably included within the scope of my claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A humidifier wheel adapted to be located in a path of moving air comprising a plurality of spirally wound sheets having a common center and a plurality ,of sets of transversely corrugatedribbons narrower than the sheets separating said sheets having the edges thereof facing the air movement and providing a plurality of passages extending in the direction of movement of the air for circulating air over the sheets.

2. A humidifier wheel comprising a relatively small solid central shaft and a plurality of spirally wound sheets radiating in divergent directions from said center and a plurality of transversely corrugated ribbons narrower in aggregate than said sheets spaced between adjacent sheets at said centerand extending spoke-like in a spiral direcadjacent faces of adjacent sheets for passing water from the inside of one sheet to the outside of the next sheet toward the center of thewheel, and forming a plurality of air passages intersecting respectively said spiral passages at right angles, and means for rotating the wheel to cause its spiral sheets to pick up a plurality of streams of water and carry the streams simultaneously toward the center of the wheel.

v WILLIAM w. STUART. 

